If you read my last post, you know how week three of challenge began. Last Monday was a disaster, all around. I ate what I wanted with little (to no) regard of nourishment needs (finished the bag of pretzels and lots of peanut butter!), did not even track calories, not enough water, and no exercise.
That being said, I deem week three of challenge very successful aside from the first day. I met all of my goals for six days in a row, including the Friday-night-through-Monday stretch that is so difficult for me. Great activity, all my fruit and vegetables, ate within my caloric parameters, and tried some new Beachbody workouts that I really enjoyed and am continuing to do.
Scale-wise I am back to what I was at the beginning of week two, so in essence I worked all of week three to overcome my four day fiasco during week two. Isn't that a shame? If I could only remember that when the peanut butter calls my name from behind the pantry doors.
What was the major difference between week two's train wreck and week three's success? Two factors: stress and environmental control. I obviously don't cope well with either.
How do you stay on track when things aren't your normal? How do you cope with stress without food? How do you focus on nourishing your body instead of feeding your emotions with food? How do you continue to meet your goals when you are away from home or out of your normal routine? I'd love to know!
I am praying for a strong last week of challenge. I know God can do a mighty work through me and my quest for balance if I move aside and allow Him!
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Week Two Challenge Results ... YIKES
I guess I've put off reporting last week's results as long as I can, seeing as how we are already on day two of week three. I've put off reporting for a very obvious reason: FAILURE.
Monday through Wednesday were great: calories consumed were 1,650 and under, heavy exercise, five fruits/vegetables, 88 oz water each day, and I tried a new workout. Thursday started out with promise but some emotional eating bombed my calories at the end of the day. I got in enough activity to theoretically still close the day just at my one-pound-loss-per-week calorie number.
Friday I had a good breakfast at home and made good choices eating out at lunch. But too tired to cook, I had junk for supper. JUNK, as in popcorn, Cheetos, pretzels, and chocolate chips and peanut butter. Obviously no energy left for a workout.
Friday evening set the tone for Saturday and Sunday. We were traveling and out of town both days and I was dealing with emotions, illness, fatigue, and insecurity. Everything went south each day at or after supper. I did not get my fruits and vegetables or track my water, I ate too much sugar and way too many calories, and no workouts. I did not even attempt to log Saturday or Sunday after lunch. Probably the most horrific was yesterday (Monday) but I'll leave that to my next report.
What did I learn from week two? Momentum, for me, is crucial. Getting my eating back on track is very difficult once I've let my guard down. One binge led to another which easily led to four days off track. If my nutrition is off, it is very difficult to find the energy and motivation to work out.
Here's to (prayerfully) a much better week three!
Monday through Wednesday were great: calories consumed were 1,650 and under, heavy exercise, five fruits/vegetables, 88 oz water each day, and I tried a new workout. Thursday started out with promise but some emotional eating bombed my calories at the end of the day. I got in enough activity to theoretically still close the day just at my one-pound-loss-per-week calorie number.
Friday I had a good breakfast at home and made good choices eating out at lunch. But too tired to cook, I had junk for supper. JUNK, as in popcorn, Cheetos, pretzels, and chocolate chips and peanut butter. Obviously no energy left for a workout.
Friday evening set the tone for Saturday and Sunday. We were traveling and out of town both days and I was dealing with emotions, illness, fatigue, and insecurity. Everything went south each day at or after supper. I did not get my fruits and vegetables or track my water, I ate too much sugar and way too many calories, and no workouts. I did not even attempt to log Saturday or Sunday after lunch. Probably the most horrific was yesterday (Monday) but I'll leave that to my next report.
What did I learn from week two? Momentum, for me, is crucial. Getting my eating back on track is very difficult once I've let my guard down. One binge led to another which easily led to four days off track. If my nutrition is off, it is very difficult to find the energy and motivation to work out.
Here's to (prayerfully) a much better week three!
Monday, September 14, 2015
A Diagnosis, and Week One of Challenge Results
About mid-way through the losing process, I began to feel bad. Just generally bad. People always asked me how great I felt, and I would just nod along. As time progressed it got worse. I was constantly sleepy, easily dizzy, massively shedding, and always uncomfortably cold. I chalked it all up to losing weight and ignored it. Since going through the crazy binge eating period I decided to get a blood panel to ensure everything was okay. Such a strong desire to eat and always being hungry made me feel like maybe everything was not. A month ago I got my lab results back with two prescriptions and a diagnosis: iron deficiency anemia and hypothyroid.
Since beginning medication, I've slowly noticed changes. The sensitivity to cold has improved a great deal. Much less hair loss. Still the necessity for naps but at least not daily. The dizziness has improved a little. The biggest change is the eating. I do not have the desire to self-medicate with food and have not binged in weeks, and that to me is the most encouraging. Because of this, I've been able to comfortably lower my caloric ceiling from 1,800 to 1,650 without starving. Maybe this battle I'm fighting isn't a losing one after all.
Week One Challenge Results
With the first seven days of challenge behind me, I'm building some confidence. I remember the way my body feels when I eat to nourish. I remember the pride I had all those many months while I was losing when I could close out the day and know I did my best. One thing that has definitely resonated with me during the last seven days is that you TRULY cannot out-exercise a bad diet. Believe me, I've tried.
Do you want to come along with me and get back on track? I'd be happy to share how and what I'm eating, what exercise I'm doing, some tips I've been using to meet my goals, and encourage you along the way.
Here's to week two!
Since beginning medication, I've slowly noticed changes. The sensitivity to cold has improved a great deal. Much less hair loss. Still the necessity for naps but at least not daily. The dizziness has improved a little. The biggest change is the eating. I do not have the desire to self-medicate with food and have not binged in weeks, and that to me is the most encouraging. Because of this, I've been able to comfortably lower my caloric ceiling from 1,800 to 1,650 without starving. Maybe this battle I'm fighting isn't a losing one after all.
Week One Challenge Results
- I ate five servings of fruit and vegetables per day six out of seven days. Saturday I was one short!
- I drank 88 ounces of water per day, one day considerably more.
- I had five "active" exercise days this week, and I tried four new BeachBody workouts (Insanity Max:30 Sweat Intervals, Beachbody Challenge Du Jour x2, and Hip Hop Abs Extreme. I do not count walking around the neighborhood with the kids or cleaning house all day as "active" exercise although I did burn extra calories doing them.
- I ended six out of seven days at considerably less than my one-pound-per-week caloric requirement after exercise. The one day I was not under I was still at considerably less than my "maintain" number.
- I lost 2.2 pounds this week and am back to the weight I was a month ago.
With the first seven days of challenge behind me, I'm building some confidence. I remember the way my body feels when I eat to nourish. I remember the pride I had all those many months while I was losing when I could close out the day and know I did my best. One thing that has definitely resonated with me during the last seven days is that you TRULY cannot out-exercise a bad diet. Believe me, I've tried.
Do you want to come along with me and get back on track? I'd be happy to share how and what I'm eating, what exercise I'm doing, some tips I've been using to meet my goals, and encourage you along the way.
Here's to week two!
Monday, September 7, 2015
Time to Reboot - Day One of Challenge
The Need for a Challenge
Back from a glorious vacation, full of fried seafood, potatoes and butter, bread, chocolate fudge, ice cream, banana pudding, donuts.... I tried to make good food choices (minus dessert!) and had four extensive intentional exercise sessions while we were gone. We were active swimming and walking every day and were in bed early so I got plenty of rest. It was a fantastic time to refresh and relax. I did not log my eating and ate when I was hungry until I was comfortably (but not miserably) full. That being said, the after-vacation weigh-in was dreadful - to put it mildly.
Now, back to routine - the stress of trying to squeeze in everything that has to be done every day, food temptations within reach, and not enough sleep - a bad combination for a binger. Yesterday was pretty terrible. I had a good breakfast but came home after church hungry. I ate a salad, half a pork steak, and a banana for lunch and then the rest of the day was a blur of a lot of peanut butter, chocolate chips, and M&Ms. I did get in my 100 minutes of exercise, at least.
Through God's perfect timing, today I started a BeachBody accountability group to help me get back on track with nutritious eating and properly fueling my body while trying new workouts to help me get out of my walking and Tae-bo funk. One thing that is so difficult about maintenance is that there is no "success" seeing the number on the scale go down day after day. It's much more fun to eat dessert than see the same number every day. This is the perfect opportunity to have challenging goals again, redefine success, and take one step closer to a healthy relationship with food, and ultimately, find balance.
The Opportunity
We have been challenged to focus on nutrition and hydration - five servings of fruit and vegetables and ample water intake per day. We have also been asked to develop a specific eating plan and commit to sticking to it as well as exercise 5-7 days per week.
The specific goals I have set for myself include:
I set out to eat around 1,800 calories today but blew that with my after lunch snack of peanut butter and chocolate chips. I had to eat a small dinner to even make 1,904. After exercise I will still meet goal of 1,440 or less for Day One of Challenge. I also incorporated three servings of vegetables (mixed greens, cucumbers, tomatoes) and two servings of fruit (half a banana, apple) and will meet my water requirement.
30 days to go!
Back from a glorious vacation, full of fried seafood, potatoes and butter, bread, chocolate fudge, ice cream, banana pudding, donuts.... I tried to make good food choices (minus dessert!) and had four extensive intentional exercise sessions while we were gone. We were active swimming and walking every day and were in bed early so I got plenty of rest. It was a fantastic time to refresh and relax. I did not log my eating and ate when I was hungry until I was comfortably (but not miserably) full. That being said, the after-vacation weigh-in was dreadful - to put it mildly.
Now, back to routine - the stress of trying to squeeze in everything that has to be done every day, food temptations within reach, and not enough sleep - a bad combination for a binger. Yesterday was pretty terrible. I had a good breakfast but came home after church hungry. I ate a salad, half a pork steak, and a banana for lunch and then the rest of the day was a blur of a lot of peanut butter, chocolate chips, and M&Ms. I did get in my 100 minutes of exercise, at least.
Through God's perfect timing, today I started a BeachBody accountability group to help me get back on track with nutritious eating and properly fueling my body while trying new workouts to help me get out of my walking and Tae-bo funk. One thing that is so difficult about maintenance is that there is no "success" seeing the number on the scale go down day after day. It's much more fun to eat dessert than see the same number every day. This is the perfect opportunity to have challenging goals again, redefine success, and take one step closer to a healthy relationship with food, and ultimately, find balance.
The Opportunity
We have been challenged to focus on nutrition and hydration - five servings of fruit and vegetables and ample water intake per day. We have also been asked to develop a specific eating plan and commit to sticking to it as well as exercise 5-7 days per week.
The specific goals I have set for myself include:
- Eating five servings of fruit and vegetables per day,
- Drinking 88 ounces of water per day,
- Exercising six days per week, including trying at least one new BeachBody workout per week,
- Ending each day at my one-pound-per-week loss caloric requirement of 1,440 or less after exercise, and
- Losing five pounds by the end of Challenge.
I set out to eat around 1,800 calories today but blew that with my after lunch snack of peanut butter and chocolate chips. I had to eat a small dinner to even make 1,904. After exercise I will still meet goal of 1,440 or less for Day One of Challenge. I also incorporated three servings of vegetables (mixed greens, cucumbers, tomatoes) and two servings of fruit (half a banana, apple) and will meet my water requirement.
30 days to go!
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